Most of Fairfield Bay was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1973 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fairfield Bay is among the newest of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fairfield Bay’s overall grade.
Arkansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Arkansas town has 20.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fairfield Bay’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (11% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D−. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Fairfield Bay’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Fairfield Bay yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Fairfield Bay is a city in Cleburne and Van Buren counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The population was 2,108 at the 2020 census. The population in its portion in Van Buren County, which accounts for the bulk of the city limits, made the city the most populous in Van Buren County as of the 2000 census, but with a slight decline in population, lost the distinction to Clinton as of 2010. Fairfield Bay, located on the shore of Greers Ferry Lake, is home to Fairfield Bay Resort, the namesake of Wyndham Worldwide-owned Fairfield Resorts.
Its first post office opened in 2000. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,338 to 2,108 (-10%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fairfield Bay. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1973Fairfield Bay sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fairfield Bay.
People over time
Fairfield Bay, census by census
Between 2,108 and 2,460 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fairfield Bay’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Fairfield Bay
Nobody well known was born in Fairfield Bay itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Fairfield Bay post office opened in 2000, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Fairfield Bay rank for history?
Fairfield Bay is among the newest of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Fairfield Bay?
0.0% of Fairfield Bay’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 1983.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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